ONE YEAR AGO, OUR STRATEGY CHANGED FROM GLOBAL EXPANSION TO SURVIVAL.
Rwanda entered lockdown and we paused the opening of new campuses. We lost 70% of our funding. We had to lay off 30% of our team.
Our faculty worked tirelessly to pivot courses online and support students without internet or electricity. Salary cuts across the college caused financial stress at home.
Our leadership struggled to handle the pressure, not knowing if we would survive as an institution.
In their attempt to turn metals into gold, medieval alchemists used containers called crucibles that could withstand high temperatures.
A leadership crucible is an adversity that forces you to question who you are and what matters to you.
This requires breaking your heart open, shedding old skin, and examining subconscious beliefs.
It’s uncomfortable yet transformational.
There is no alchemy without heat.
The best leaders extract wisdom from a crucible. They emerge transformed.
They find meaning and learn from negative events rather than resorting to resentment or anger.
Our crucible set us on the path of reinventing ourselves. Over the past year, we have been confronting the aspects of the organization and ourselves that needed to evolve.
We have been changing how we lead, communicate, make decisions, resolve conflict, and operate. It’s been a rejuvenating – and at times painful – journey.
From crisis to restoration, our team is stronger than ever. Campus is open after the second lockdown. 1,300 young men and women will receive a life-changing education this year.
For 11 years, we have encouraged our students to be authentic in their leadership journey and to share their wisdom with others. It’s time to practice what we preach.
We are ready to share our lessons learned and experiences, good and bad.
You are invited to join the Visionaries, a community of monthly donors who believe in the transformative gift of higher education.
